The brain is involved in several cognitive functions and activities. It should be properly nourished at all times. It should also be protected from stress and other situations that can cause harm. There are helpful ways to enhance its ability and boost its optimum performance. Some of the best ways to improve your mental health are listed below.
Use deep breathing
Proper breathing can affect your brain functions and improve your memory. You should practice breathing in through your nose and breathing out through your mouth. This can help calm your brain and modulate its activities.
Learn the best way to breathe through meditation and yoga. This is a holistic approach that will help you clear your mind and make you feel more relaxed. There are several yoga techniques that you can try. Each of them has their own function that greatly affects the brain. Some can boost your memory by increasing the blood supply in your brain. Other routines can significantly promote brain power and sharpen your memory and skills. Overall, you can choose the yoga technique that best fits your needs.
Meditate
Meditation can greatly affect your health especially the brain functions. This relaxing and soothing activity has been found to lower blood pressure, reduce pain and anxiety, and enhance your memory. Studies show that proper meditation can increase the gray matter, composed of neuron cell bodies, found in your brain. As one age these gray matters start to decline, thus leading to negative impact on the cognitive functions and memory.
Meditation has also shown signs of an improved short-term memory in people. This is particularly observed in those who are in their 20s to old age. Additionally, meditation techniques have significant effects on your spatial working memory or the ability to hold and process information in the mind based on its position in space.
Mind games
Performing brain activities and mind games can help you stimulate your brain. Remember that the brain is also a muscle that needs regular excising. This includes the connections in between the nerve cells. It can also help you in regenerating new cells and in developing the so-called neurological โplasticityโ. Several brain activities can also build up a functional reserve which will provide a hedge for cell degeneration.
Try performing mentally stimulating activities to help you enhance your brain performance. You can try โmental gymnasticsโ. This includes answering math problems and playing word puzzles such as Scrabble and Sudoku. You can also opt to experiment with activities that require your brains dexterity and mental efforts. This may include sketching, drawing, crafting, painting, and others. These activities can help sharpen your mind, boost your mental and processing speed, and enhance your overall mental performance and power. ย
Exercise
Exercising not only brings incredible effects to your body but also to your brain. Studies have linked the effects of several exercise routines in improving the memory of people no matter what your age is. A moderate exercise on a stationary bike for about 15 minutes can enhance the cognitive functions and memory of an individual.
Regular exercise also increases the secretion of the neuroprotective proteins in the brain leading to better brain health. It can also affect the growth and development of the neurons. Lastly, exercising can lower the risk of developing dementia and other mental related illnesses that may occur later in life. This activity will surely help your weight loss plansย while improving your mental power.
De-stress
Relax your mind and your body to easily remember things and to accomplish more. Avoid stressing yourself too much as this will make you more anxious and steal your peacefulness. Stress and anxiety can also lead to memory loss and possible destruction of the brain cells.
De-stress yourself by simply pouring your heart out and laughing out loud. Laughter can engage several areas of your brain leading to a simultaneous reduction in stress levels. You can also grab a pen and a paper and write your thoughts to help you declutter your mind. Interact more often with people including your family and friends as this can also help ward off depression. Always express happiness and gratitude to the things happening in your life. Try to visualize a perfect and ideal life that you always dream of. You can fake these things until such time that you are able to make it without any pretensions.
Do something you love
Improve your body and mind by doing the things you love. Enjoy and seize the moment as this will give positive effects to your brain. You can also try challenging yourself and your brain by doing new things and experiencing new adventures. These actions can stimulate your brain.
Start by simply taking a different route going to your work. You can also grab a newspaper or a magazine and read sections that you usually skip. Cook something new by using a recipe you recently see. Learn and speak a new language and increase your vocabulary. Get out of your comfort zone and do things that are extraordinary. Doing these things will help you to reconstruct your brain in order to create new pathways and enhance your brain power.
Improving your physical and mental health should always go hand in hand. Try these simple yet effective ways to bring out the best in you. What are you waiting for? Change your lifestyle and achieve only the best results for your body and brain.
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